The Portland daily press., 1887-02-25
But its Enemies Strongly Assert |,
viii be Defeated.
Active Measures to be Taken for Pro
lection Against Pleuro-
Pneumo MIA.
Especial to the PREss.l

Especial to the PREss.l
AUGUSTA, Feb. "a.
| This afternoon Governor Bodwell At
torney General Baker and the cattle COM
| missioners.-or two of them at least DR.
Bailey and Mr.. Bell,-have been in earnest
consultation. The reason is that the pleu-
ro-pneumonia has just appeared in Boston
and energetic measures are to be taken al
once to keep it out of Maine. Tomorrow an
order will be issued prohibiting the importa-
tinn of all cattle across the western border
of Maine from Massachusetts or New
Hampshire. Should by any chance any in
fected cattle get within the limits of the
State, sure steps will be taken to quarantine
and stamp out the disease.
Dr. Bailey SAYS tonight that a car load of
cattle came to Boston from Buffalo. These
cattle had the pleuro-pneumonia, but before
it was discovered they were distributed to
town towns around Boston. So the contagion has
been widely spread and is likely to make un-
pleasant times for Massachusetts cattle own
erS. Already ii Is understood that seventy
exposed animals have been quarrantined.
DR.. Winchester, the state veterinary of
Massachusetts who has been here at the
hearing, was informed of the outbreak by
telegraph yesterday and left at once for Mas
sachusetts where there Is understood to be
considerable excitement
IiProbably the quarantine will be issued
under authority of the cattle commissioners,
although it is said that Mr.. Gilbert will not
give his assent until this evening. The in
yestigation into the management of the dis
eased cattle at the State College has been
rather uneventful. This evening it grew
more interesting. Mr.. w: T. Haines, Esq.
and Lyndon Oak, of the board of trustees,
N. 7. Haskell, who ewns a farm adjoining
the college, and is breeder of cattle, and
Mr.. Shaw, who is employed on the college
farm, were first examined. They testified as
to various matters relating to the herd, its
condition at various times, and financial
matters relating to the purchase of the herd.
Then the examination of the Cattle Com
missioners began, Mr.. w. b. Ferguson going
on the stand first The examination then
began to relate to the doings of the commits
siOnerS when they discovered the disease at
Orono. Mr.. Ferguson's testimony was in re-
latlon to his consultations with Secretary
Gilbert and Messrs. Bell and Bailey. But
the hearing did not grow really interesting
until Secretary Gilbert's examination began,
under the searching and able cross-examina-
tion conducted by Hall c. Burleighs counsel
l.. c. Cornish, Esq. Some highly interesting
facts were brought out.
Mr.. Gilbert testified that it was abeut
year ago about the first of last March that
he first had suspicion of the presence of
tuberculosis at the College farm. He never
before, he said, had received notice of an in
stance of tuberculosis in Maine On March
18th, Mr.. Gilbert and DR.. Bailey were at the
College and two cows were killed to see if
they really had tuberculosis. it was found
that they did, one of them, Princess Alba,
being very badly afflicted. On April 22d and
I'D the rest of the herd was slaughtered At
this time the Kent bull, the.mether of which
was the Princess Alba, mentioned above as
badly diseased, was owned by Mr.. s. n.
Kent in Bucksport. Mr.. Kent Immediately
became worried lest the bull should be a
source Of disease and wrote to Mr.. Gilbert a
letter of inquiry. Mr.. Gilbert says the letter
was private and to him, as brother Granger,
and not to him as cattle commissioner
However, Mr.. Gilbert made this reply
NORTH GREENE, April 80, 1886.
Mr.. s. NJ Kent:
Your letter is at hand. If were in your place,
l should retain and use the bull AS long as he
II Is safe TO conclude he is well. If he is we'll it
is safe and proper to use him.
Respectfully yours,
After this letter was written, the chairman
of the seleetmen of Bucksport, Mr.. McAlis-
ter, sent an official communication to the
board of commissioners regarding the bull
and DIR. Bailey went down there to investi-
gate. He did not find conclusive evidence
then of disease in the animal himself, though
the bulls mother, as was well known on the
college farm, was the Princess Alba, the
first killed and the worst afflicted of all the
college herd. DR.. Bailey sent an account of
the results of his trip, and received the fol-
lowing reply:
NORTH ANsoN Mar 10, 1886.
DR.. Bdiley-Dedr Sir.
Your letter with documents at hand / do not
think the case warranted visit from you, and
they probably took the course theydd to get an ex-
animation OF the animal at the States expense.
know all about the case. In regard to my advice
take The bull was so sold, and we have no ev-
1dence that he came from any other than sound
right f he does not easy about at Il It is noae n a
OF your business. Then he must sell him, that is
all. Yours, GILBERT.
Still later, on August 18th, we find Mr.
Gilbert writing to DIR. Bailey as follows:
North GREENE, Aug. 49,
We haven't the ghost of law that will author
ize us to interfere with that animal. II Mr. Kent
ness, not ours Besides a decision that the ami
NAL was unsound when bought binds the college
to refund, etc.
As the counsel read these letters and
elaborated on the positions taken by Mr..
Gilbert, how he said there was no evidence
that the Kent bull was from other than
"sound parentage," when it was matter of
knowledge. at the college farm that the
bulls dam was Princess Alba, the animal
Mr.. Gilbert himself had seen killed, and as
Mr.. Cornish pointed out Mr. Gilbert slam
xiety was to save the college from the liabili-
ty "t0 refund" the interest among the spec
tators was great Whether scaused by
nervousness or from some other cause,
conflict. The sentiment of the spectators
was we'll voiced by the inquiry made by one
of the committee: "Do you think, Mr..
Gilbert, you. were as vigilant as you should
have been?"
Mr.. Gilbert said he thought he and Mr..
Cornish had whole file Of letters, and the
reading of them and the explanations, and
often the stubborn answers of the secretary
of the board of agriculture, made it very in
teresting.
siderable stress was the one in which he
SAID, that If the case of the bulls was inves-
tigated too clearly it would cause something
like an earthquake in Maine for there was
much tuberculosis outside of the State Col
lege that would be found.
Mr.. Gilbert's belief in this seems to be the
key to much of his apparently pusillanimous
conduct. He seems to have thought that
killing the College bulls would have been
but beginning. Many of the investigating
committee think SO too.
AT the hearing tonight Prof Jordan of the
experiment station displayed the lungs of a
cow killed sln Bangor two days ago. The
cow was from mother bought ten years ago
OF Dr. North of Augusta, and was owned by
". Y. Miller OF Bangor Prof. Jordan said
tnat neltner the cow nor her mother had
ever been near or had connection with any
of the college cattle.
DR.. Bailey examined the lungs before the
committee and pronounced them "red hot
with tuberculosis.
Mr.. Gilbert's friends claim that this tends
to show that the disease is frequent in the
State, and that killing the bulls would be
only drop in the bucket.
1t was past midnight when the investiga-
tion was adjourned for aweek.
The Judges May be Happy Yet.
The House of Representatives made eight
eminent men happy this forenoon. Yester-
day the Senate decided that the salaries of
the Supreme judges should be raised from
$4,000 to $500 a year. The House had previ-
ously decided by vote of rs to 63 that $4,000
was enough. The question in the House this
morning was whether or not to recede and
concur with the Senate. There was great
display Of oratory. Mr.. Clark Of Bangor,